No Such Thing
by Hope Grace
Summary: What if you shared one perfect moment with someone and then never heard from them again? Mimi has been haunted by her memories for ten years, until Jason returns for their high school reunion.
1. Prologue

I disclaim. If I owned these characters, Jason would still be on the show. Thank you. :)  
  
Just a short little prologue to see what you guys think. I don't know how often I'll get to update this one, but if it seems to be going well, I'll do my best to keep writing. (Just depends on the feedback and how much writing I'm doing on the Broe fic I have going.)  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Prologue  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
(The year 2012)  
  
Mimi Lockhart leaned against the back wall of the elevator and stared at the red numbers that marked off each floor. The elevator went higher, seemingly letting someone off at every single floor. The delay only served to frustrate Mimi, causing her to nibble the edge of the nail on her pinky as she waited for the elevator to finally arrive at her floor.  
  
The doors slid open and Mimi adjusted her purse on her shoulder as she left the elevator to walk into the offices of the Spectator. She attempted to make a beeline towards her desk, but was intercepted when Harold Wentworth scooted directly in front of her, nearly knocking her over.  
  
"HAROLD! Geeeeeez... Watch where you're walking, buddy..."  
  
"Mimi! I'm glad you're back from lunch! There's --"  
  
Mimi waved her hand and walked around him, shaking her head as she replied. "No, no, no, don't mention work to me yet... I have an important phone call to make before I talk about work."  
  
Harold whirled around to follow and put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Belle Black is on the phone. I told her to hold on because I saw you getting off the elevator."  
  
Mimi turned her head and looked at him in surprise. "Oh. That's who I was going to call anyway. And why are you answering the phones? What happened to Janie?"  
  
"She's... sick... or something. I don't know how that girl still has a job here."  
  
Mimi laughed and took a seat at her desk, grinning at Harold as she replied. "Because she never shows up so Jennifer can fire her."  
  
Harold laughed softly and winked at her before he pointed at the phone. "Belle is on line two... and when you're done, there's a staff meeting in the conference room."  
  
Mimi smiled and waved him away as she picked up the phone on her desk. She grabbed the white envelope out of her purse and laid it in front of her as she hit the button for line two. "Hey Belle..."  
  
Belle's excited voice came over the line, and Mimi immediately knew that Belle had received the same envelope she had. "Mimi! Did you get it? Did you get yours?"  
  
"You mean my Salem High Class of 2002, Ten Year Reunion Package? Yeah, I went home during lunch and it was right there waiting to lather me with humiliation."  
  
"Humiliation? Mimi... You are one of the most successful people I know. Why wouldn't Miriam Lockhart, a columnist for the Salem Spectator who is about to go nationally syndicated, NOT want to go back to her high school and show off a little?"  
  
Mimi rolled her eyes, even though she knew Belle couldn't see the gesture. She began emptying the contents of the envelope on to her desk as she replied to her friend. "Because, Belle, every single person from that school that I care about, I see all the time. The rest of them... I don't care. High school was not exactly an amazing experience for me, so I'm not that anxious to go back there."  
  
"Please don't tell me it's because you are single."  
  
"Noooo, it's not because I'm single. I'm perfectly happy being single; it's much less stressful this way. I just... I don't really have ANY desire to see those people. And, if any of them wanted to see me, I'm sure they would have picked up the phone and tried to call me at some point in the past ten years."  
  
There was an awkward pause from Belle's end before she asked sadly. "It's not Kevin, is it? You're not still bitter because Kevin went off and married the first girl he met at Stanford?"  
  
Mimi snickered softly and glanced at the letter inviting her to the reunion. "Kevin? Kevin Lambert? You have got to be kidding me, Belle... I am NOT still bitter about that. I could care less about him."  
  
"Alright, fine, fine, fine, it's not because of Kevin then... Can you please just think about it? That's all I'm asking... THINK about it."  
  
Mimi sighed loudly and reluctantly gave in to her best friend's request. "Alright, I will *think* about it, but that's as far as it goes..."  
  
Mimi could almost see the satisfied smile on Belle's face as she giddily replied. "Great! You know I'll get you to go, whether you like it or not."  
  
"I have no doubt that you will try. But, uhm... you're going to have to continue your harassment later, I've got a meeting to get to."  
  
"Alright, I'll see you later, Meems... Think about it please."  
  
Mimi laughed and nodded slightly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bye Belle..."  
  
Mimi hung up the phone and looked back at the invitation and schedule of events for the reunion. She saw a page with a note to all alumni saying, "This is a list of students whom we have lost contact with over the years. If you know of their whereabouts, please help us get in contact with them so they can join us at the reunion this summer. Thank you."  
  
She sighed softly as her eyes ran over the list of names, looking for one specific one. She laid the tip of her fingernail underneath the name and frowned at it.  
  
Belle had been dreadfully wrong when she had brought up the name Kevin Lambert. Mimi had gotten over him quickly and cleanly, without any lingering bitterness. No, it was another one of her classmates that had haunted her thoughts for ten years. Her mind always went back to one snowy winter night during the Christmas break of her freshman year in college. One perfect kiss under the stars, which no kiss in the past ten years had ever lived up to.  
  
It was a memory she always held close to her heart, even though it was associated with a small amount of heartbreak. It had been their first and only kiss, and no matter how hard she tried to get it out of her head, she couldn't. Even after his promises to keep in touch with her were broken, his lips, his fingers and his eyes still remained in her memory.  
  
Her eyes were glued to the name that was the cause of that perfect memory and the heartbreak that followed. A name that had not only remained out of contact with her, but with Salem High as well. Jason Masters.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


	2. Chapter 1

~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter One  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
(Two and a half months later.)  
  
Mimi stood outside the home of Belle and Shawn Brady's upscale, but still cozy, three-bedroom home waiting for someone to answer the door. It had been a long few months of waiting, but today was the day that her column made it's syndicated debut, appearing in newspapers across the nation. Mimi would have preferred a quiet night at home, but her co-workers at the Spectator had celebrated her all day long, and now Belle insisted on another celebration.  
  
Shawn answered the door with a large smile and gave her a brief congratulatory hug as he ushered her inside. "Hey Meems..."  
  
Mimi sat her purse down on the table near the door and smiled back at him. "Hey, where is everybody?"  
  
"Well, the kids are at my parents house probably annoying the heck out of their Uncle Zack. Belle wanted it to be a night for grown-ups... That way we don't have to eat macaroni and cheese tonight."  
  
Mimi chuckled softly, but her expression changed to horrified as another thought entered her mind. "Wait a minute... Belle didn't... She didn't COOK, did she?"  
  
Shawn wrinkled up his nose in disgust and shook his head. Just like her mother before her, Belle had a reputation for being a terrible cook. "Oh God no, I wouldn't let her... We got everything from the pub. More food than the three of us can possibly eat... So, we invited some surprise guests..."  
  
"Surprise guests? Where?"  
  
"They are in the back yard with my wife..."  
  
Mimi gave him a surprised glance, but wasted no time in thinking over who it might be. She pushed past Shawn and marched through the house towards the back door. She opened the sliding glass door and stepped out on to the back porch where Belle was chatting happily with their two guests, a beautiful brunette and her tall, blonde husband.  
  
"BRADY! CHLOE! OH MY GOD..."  
  
The two surprise guests pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tightly as she greeted them. "You guys aren't supposed to be here until next week! I can't believe it!"  
  
Brady gave his trademark grin and wink combination as he replied. "Hey... Do you really think we wouldn't want to congratulate you on your amazing achievement?"  
  
Mimi smiled at him and waved her hand to dismiss him. "Oh stop... It's not that amazing."  
  
Chloe looked at her doubtfully and shook her head. "Mimi, come on. It's a HUGE deal. You are one of the youngest people in history to have her own syndicated column. The whole country is reading you now..."  
  
"Yes, and now I have billions of people waiting for me to offend them with my words instead of just half of this state."  
  
Belle jumped in and gave Mimi a brief hug before offering her own words of encouragement. "Hey, don't say things like that... If you weren't a brilliant writer, which you are, then they wouldn't be paying you to syndicate your column. Everyone in this country is going to LOVE you just as much as we do."  
  
Mimi giggled and rolled her eyes at her friend. "Wellllll, if you say so..."  
  
Shawn was standing in the doorway motioning towards the inside of the house. "Well, I say that there is a whole lot of food in the kitchen about to get cold. Come on..."  
  
The group began to filter inside, and Mimi latched herself to Chloe's side as they headed through the house towards the kitchen. "So tell me, Chloe... What are you doing here? Why did you come home early? And... How come you didn't tell me?"  
  
Chloe laughed at her as they reached the kitchen and began filling up their plates together. "Always the reporter, even now... Let's see, my recording sessions for the new album ended earlier than I expected, and John wanted Brady in town for this meeting with a new client for Basic Black. So, it just happened to work out to be today -- the day we celebrate your accomplishments. We took the first flight from New York this morning."  
  
"You've been here ALL day?"  
  
"Yeah, we spent some time with Craig and Nancy this morning, went to see John and Marlena too... It's been a busy day."  
  
Mimi and Chloe joined the rest of their friends at the dining room table, as they all began hungrily digging in to their dinners. The conversation was light and easy, completely lacking any strain or stress. At least until near the end of the meal, when Brady tactlessly brought up the impending Salem High reunion.  
  
Brady wiped his mouth with his napkin and grinned wickedly. "So, I know I didn't go to your high school, but I'm ready and willing to start laying down some money on what happened to your former classmates."  
  
Belle looked at her brother with a confused glance. "Laying down money? What are you talking about?"  
  
"You know... Let's make some bets... Who got fat? Who is going bald at the tender age of 28? Who is more successful than you would have expected? Who is LESS successful than you would have expected? Who won't be there because they're in jail? Who came out of the closet? Come on, it'll be fun..."  
  
The whole table was laughing but Shawn shook his head in shame as he replied to Brady. "You are too twisted for words, Brady Black..."  
  
Brady rolled his eyes and grabbed his glass of iced tea off the table. "Please, like you aren't all DYING to find out what happened to some of those people you didn't keep in touch with."  
  
Mimi grinned and raised her hand slightly as she interjected. "I'm not... I don't give a crap what happened to those people, and I'm sure they feel the same way about me."  
  
Chloe frowned at her from across the table. "Now Meems, aren't you just a little bit excited about showing off all of the success you've had?"  
  
"Is that why *you're* going, Chloe?"  
  
"I -- I'm not going to show off."  
  
Everyone at the table stared at her with doubt all over their faces. Chloe wasn't the type of person to brag, but considering how most of Salem High had treated her, she had every right to shove her success in their faces at the reunion. Chloe laughed and nodded her head, begrudgingly giving her agreement to Mimi's question.  
  
"Okay, maybe just a *little*. But, I can't help it... After all the hell I went through at that school, I can't help but be curious as to what the reunion is going to be like. Not that I need their approval or anything, I just want to go... And you should too, Mimi."  
  
"No way, not going to happen... We've been over this every day for the past 2 months. I'm not going. Besides, we were supposed to RSVP a week ago, and I didn't... So, I can't go."  
  
Belle gave her husband a conspiratorial glance and then looked towards Mimi. "Then it's a good thing that when I RSVP'ed for Shawn and myself, I also told Penny that you were going to be there so to count you in..."  
  
Mimi nearly choked on her drink as she stared at Belle in shock. "You did WHAT? You told Penny I was coming?"  
  
"Well, she is the head of the reunion committee, and I figured you would change your mind eventually..."  
  
"Except that I haven't. I haven't changed my mind and I'm not going to either. I will NOT be at the reunion... I refuse to go."  
  
Shawn sighed softly and pleaded with her. "Come on, Mimi... It won't be any fun without you. The whole gang will be together again, and it's not very often that we're all in the same place at the same time. Phillip will..."  
  
Mimi nodded and waved her hand as she finished his sentence. "I know, he called to congratulate me this morning. He'll be here in a few days... blah blah blah... the whole gang is back together. Believe me, I enjoy spending time with my friends, but not at a high school reunion."  
  
Brady gave her a mock pout, joining in on everyone else's begging. "Come on, Meems... EVERYBODY is going to be there. You wouldn't want to be left out, would you?"  
  
"Not everybody. I mean, there was that whole list with our invitations... you know, people that nobody can get a hold of... Those people probably won't be there. So pretend I'm one of them."  
  
There was a pause of silence as Chloe eyed Mimi suspiciously, one perfectly shaped eyebrow raised high. "Mimi... You know, I was thinking that you didn't want to go because of someone who will be there. But now, I'm starting to think it's because of someone who WON'T be there. Could this have something to do with someone on that list? Someone named --"  
  
Before Chloe could spit out the name, Mimi's green eyes went wide and she shook her head. "NO! Chloe, shush!! It has nothing to do with ANYBODY. Just me... Can we please drop this now and find *something* else to talk about? We are all reasonably intelligent and interesting people, I'm sure there are plenty of topics of conversations we can involve ourselves in besides this... Okay?"  
  
Belle giggled softly and nodded in agreement. "Fine, fine, fine... We'll shut up about it. We're supposed to be celebrating you, not making you cranky... I'm sorry..."  
  
Mimi smiled happily and motioned for everyone to continue talking. Shawn began telling a story about a case they had just cracked at the Salem police department this week, but Mimi was only half-listening. The highly suspicious glance that Chloe had thrown her had not gone away, her dark-haired friend was still glaring at her, as if to say. "It is Jason, isn't it?"  
  
Mimi sighed softly and averted her eyes from Chloe's fixed gaze. Chloe Lane was the only person who knew what had happened that night. Mimi somewhat regretted never confiding in Belle, they were supposed to be best friends after all, but somehow it had just remained a secret. It didn't seem like a big deal really, not something that everyone needed to know about, and the only reason Chloe knew was because it had accidentally slipped out during a private conversation between the two of them.  
  
Thankfully, the topic of the reunion was kept out of the conversation for the remainder of the evening. However, it still remained fixed in Mimi's brain. She began to wonder if she was acting ridiculous about the whole thing, but still, she was keeping her resolve, adamant in her refusal to not go.  
  
~*~  
  
(Meanwhile - Los Angeles, California)  
  
Jason stared blankly ahead, his mind not where it should be. He was thinking about the high school reunion that was only seven days away. The committee had not been able to find him, and for that, he had been extremely thankful. But, it didn't keep him from finding out about the upcoming event.  
  
An e-mail had arrived at his office a few weeks ago from an old classmate, Cynthia Reynolds. Somehow she had tracked him down and informed him of the reunion. But, Jason didn't reply, sending the letter to his trashcan immediately. He had washed his hands of Salem a long time ago, and wasn't ready to go back any time soon. In fact, he had never even been back to visit his parents, instead flying them out to Los Angeles to visit him for holidays and vacations.  
  
His secretary Katie stepped through the door of his office and laid today's Los Angeles Times on his desk. She smiled politely at him and Jason broke his blank stare to smile back at her.   
  
"It's the paper you asked for, Mr. Masters."  
  
"Thanks Katie, thanks a lot."  
  
Katie nodded and returned to her desk in the outer office as Jason began peeling the newspaper apart. His mind was racing with far too many thoughts to concentrate on the articles, but as he reached the section with the syndicated columns and articles, his eyes stopped immediately on a column he had not seen before.  
  
The black and white picture next to the name of the writer showed him a familiar face. A face that he had thought about many times, one that had only grown more beautiful in the years since they were in high school together. His fingers ran over the name, Miriam Lockhart, and then lovingly grazed the picture of her smiling face. He felt a strange twisting in his heart, something he hadn't felt in far too long.  
  
Jason couldn't figure out what possessed him to do what he did next, but without even thinking he hit the speakerphone button that called Katie at her desk.  
  
"Katie..."  
  
"Yes, Mr. Masters... What can I do for you?"  
  
"Call my travel agent. Book me a flight to Salem, Illinois as soon as possible... and get me the best room at the Salem Inn."  
  
"Sir, is everything okay?"  
  
Jason sighed softly and stared at the picture once more. "Everything is fine, Katie... I'm going home."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Thanks for all the great feedback!! Have I mentioned lately how much I love Mason fans? You all *rock*. :) :) 


	3. Chapter 2

~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter Two  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jason stood at the entrance to Dot.Com for the first time in almost ten years. He watched as customers milled about perusing the merchandise, or finding booths to sip their drinks at. Suddenly, he felt very very old. Sure, he was only twenty-eight, but the place was filled with high school students, all of them ten to twelve years younger than him. If he didn't know better he would have said that teenagers were getting smaller and more young looking the older he got.  
  
He sighed loudly and walked further in, stopping to look at a rack of CD's for a moment. He chuckled softly when he saw a small display on the shelf for Salem's very own superstar, Chloe Lane. Jason picked up the CD and looked at it for a moment, admiring the photographs on the front and back with a smile. He was just putting it back down when he felt fingers tapping at his shoulder.  
  
"Jason Masters... I can't believe it's you."  
  
Jason whirled around and came face to face with the diva herself, almost as if she had magically materialized out of nowhere. He grinned at her and held her CD in front of him, tapping at the sexy picture of her on the front. "And I... can't believe THIS is you, Chloe Lane."  
  
Chloe grinned and crossed her arms over her chest as he put the CD back on the shelf. "Didn't think I'd ever amount to anything, did you, Jase? Coming from you that is no surprise..."  
  
"I never said that. I just don't remember you being THIS hot when we were in high school... I mean, wow, Lane... You're really working it in this picture."  
  
Chloe growled and grabbed the CD out of his hand, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "You pig. You never change, do you?"  
  
Jason shook his head and frowned at her. "Actually -- I've changed a lot."  
  
"Uh-huh. So is that why you've *finally* come home? To show everybody at Salem High how you've changed?"  
  
"No, I could care less what those people think of me... If any of them have ever thought of me at all in the past 10 years..."  
  
Chloe wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion and continued her questioning. "Alright... Then why are you here?"  
  
Jason laughed softly and smirked at her. "I don't think that's any of your business, Lane."  
  
"It's Black now, by the way."  
  
"Right, I remember. I read your article in Rolling Stone. The girl who made opera sexy and cool... I think that's what they called you."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Rolling Stone tends to exaggerate. So, what have you been doing all these years? Or... is that none of my business too?"  
  
Jason hesitated for a moment, and finally gave up just a little information. "I'm a sports agent out in Los Angeles."  
  
"Like Jerry Maguire?"  
  
"Right... *Exactly* like that."  
  
Chloe could sense the sarcasm in his voice and grinned at him slightly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... So, how's that working out for you?"  
  
Jason stared at her curiously, wondering if she was really interested or just making idle chit-chat. "Great, I'm one of the top junior agents in my field. It's very... fulfilling."  
  
"That's good. That's great." Chloe looked at her watch and then looked back at Jason with a deadly serious gaze. "Listen, Jase... You won't tell me why you're back, but I assume it's for the reunion. However, if for some reason you came back here because of Mimi... Back off. If you hurt her again, I will tear your eyeballs out with my freshly manicured ballerina pink fingernails. You got that?"  
  
Jason looked somewhat stunned by her threat, but he didn't doubt for a second that it was one she would follow through with. "I -- I never meant to hurt her. It's -- it's complicated, Chloe."  
  
"Don't tell me that... She's the one you need to explain yourself to. And, if by any chance you can get a time machine and travel back to 2002 to do that -- it would be *really* helpful."  
  
"I never thought I'd see the day when Chloe Lane would be protecting Mimi Lockhart."  
  
Chloe's eyes narrowed as she replied softly. "Things change, right? Mimi was there for me through a lot of hard times... She became like a sister to me, and I will do anything to protect her heart, because it's a really amazing heart..."  
  
Jason looked at the ground, a hint of sadness and regret filling his eyes. "Is -- is she going? To the reunion?"  
  
"No, she's not. She refuses to go, even though Belle is trying to drag her there."  
  
"Then -- maybe that's for the best. I wouldn't want there to be awkwardness because of me... because of us."  
  
Jason stifled a soft laugh of regret. There was no 'us' when it came to him and Mimi Lockhart. There never had been, and thanks to his mistakes, there never would be. He looked back up into Chloe's eyes and instantly knew that she could sense the regret that was filling his heart.  
  
"Listen -- if you don't want there to be any 'awkwardness', you better get out of here. She's meeting me here in about five minutes."  
  
"Are you going to tell her that I'm in town?"  
  
Chloe stared at him suspiciously and raised both eyebrows. "If you mean, am I going to lie to one of my best friends and say that I didn't see you? The answer is NO."  
  
Jason nodded in understanding and gave her a polite smile. "Nice to see you again, Chloe... I guess I'll see you at the reunion."  
  
"I guess so... Nice to see you too, Jason."  
  
She smiled at him and watched him as he walked away, shaking her head sadly as she headed towards an empty table. It was obvious that he was regretful about hurting Mimi, but still not very forthcoming with wanting to explain his actions. Or, in this particular case, complete and total inaction.  
  
Mimi was just walking up to the entrance of Dot.Com when a blur of a human being rushed past her. A blur that looked an awful lot like Jason. She watched the back of him rush off towards the parking lot, her stomach suddenly doing flip-flops as she realized she could recognize him anywhere. It didn't matter how many years it had been since she had last seen him, he had always been in her mind, and so he was easily recognizable.  
  
She put her hands over her face and shook her head in denial. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew it was the truth. After all this time, he had finally come home.  
  
****** FLASHBACK ******  
  
Mimi stood at the rack of scarves in Ballistix, running her fingers lightly over the material of each one. She paused to stare at the price tags on each one until she found one that was in her budget.  
  
"That one's nice..." Mimi looked up curiously to find herself staring at the face behind the voice interrupting her shopping. Jason was smiling at her as he picked up one of the more expensive scarves. "But, this one is a lot nicer."  
  
Mimi rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Then you buy it... It's a little out of my range."  
  
"Are you buying for yourself or doing Christmas shopping?"  
  
"Christmas shopping... You?"  
  
Jason laughed and gave a brief glance to the store full of women's clothing. "Very funny, Lockhart. I am shopping for my mother."  
  
Mimi chuckled and began walking towards the cash register, the cheaper scarf still in her hand. "Yeah, me too..."  
  
Jason followed her, holding on to the other scarf, intending to purchase it for his mother. He stood behind Mimi as she waited in line and leaned over shoulder, smelling the faint scent of vanilla emanating from her skin. "So, Lockhart... You want to go out and get a cup of coffee with me? I'm buying..."  
  
Mimi whipped her head around to stare at him in shock, two pairs of bright green eyes locking with each other. "What? You're asking me to go out for coffee? Are you coming down with something? Perhaps a case of seasonal delirium? I hear those winters in California can really drive a person nuts... Must be all the sunshine burning your brain."  
  
"No, I'm serious... I want to buy you a cup of coffee. Catch up on all the latest about my former classmates. I haven't been home since August, Mimi... I just..."  
  
Mimi turned back around to face forward and shook her head. "Then call Hawk, or Cynthia or one of your *actual* friends."  
  
Jason stared at the back of her head in surprise, gasping softly as he muttered under his breath. "Wow... She has teeth AND she bites."  
  
Mimi refused to turn around, keeping her eyes glued forward as she replied to him. "Shut up, Jason."  
  
Jason did as instructed and they remained quiet as they paid for their purchases. He couldn't resist following her outside, catching up to her quickly as she headed across the mall. "Mimi -- WAIT!"  
  
Mimi stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. "What? What now?"  
  
"Why are you so mean?"  
  
"Do you have short term memory loss or something? I'd say I'm actually being pretty gentle considering the way you've treated me and my friends."  
  
Jason paused to think about it and then nodded in agreement. "Okay, I understand... I get that, I do. And you're right... But, maybe -- just maybe -- I want to make it up to you. I want to actually try to be nice to you... to be sincere..."  
  
Mimi pursed her eyebrows together and frowned at him. "Why? Do you have some sort of community service commitment to fulfill and I'm your project?"  
  
"No, Mimi... I know I've been a jerk in the past, but after almost four months in California, where I am nobody important, I've realized that I should have been a lot nicer to a lot of people. And you are one of them."  
  
Mimi was still eyeing him suspiciously as a freezing wind began to blow past her. She brushed her hair out of her face and decided she better give in or he might just follow her around all day. "Fine, okay... And I'm only saying okay because it's freezing and I would really love a cup of coffee. But, this doesn't mean I trust you and this doesn't make us friends."  
  
Jason grinned at her and nodded in agreement. "Alright, we are not friends, and you don't trust me. This is just a hot cup of non-committal, non-friendly, non-trustworthy coffee between two ex-classmates. Still my treat though..."  
  
Mimi grinned back at him slightly. "Well, if you insist..."  
  
Jason instinctively threw his arm around her shoulder and began walking her towards the Java Cafe. It wasn't a normal or expected gesture coming from him, but for some reason, Mimi found it oddly comforting. Not to mention, his arm seemed to fit perfectly around her shoulder, as he held her close to him.  
  
****** END FLASHBACK ******  
  
Mimi tucked her hair behind her ears with a loud sigh. She had to stop living in her memories, especially before she got to the part that had hurt her most. Seeing Jason had only stirred up those old memories, and she shook them off before she headed inside to meet Chloe.  
  
She sat in the booth across from her brunette friend, a frown plastered on her normally smiling face. "Hey Chloe..."  
  
"Wow... That was the most unenthusiastic greeting I think I have ever heard."  
  
"I just -- I think I --"  
  
Chloe grinned at her and finished her sentence. "Saw Jason Masters? Yeah, I know... What a shock. I never expected to see him here, especially because his name was on that list of lost alumni."  
  
Mimi nodded slightly, still lost in her thoughts, wondering why he had decided to come back after so long. "Yeah... I can't -- I can't believe it either... Did you -- did you talk to him?"  
  
"Briefly. He didn't really say why he came home if that's what you were curious about."  
  
Mimi broke her reverie and played it off like it was no big deal. She smiled at her friend and nodded. "Oh, well, no big deal. I guess he's just coming back for the reunion... So... Did you get a dress picked out to wear to the reunion or do Belle and I have to go shopping with you?"  
  
Chloe looked at her curiously, wondering why she so quickly glossed over the subject of Jason. She smiled back at Mimi and went along with Mimi's rapid change of subject. "I've got something already, but I do need a pair of shoes. I left the ones that match the dress at home in New York."  
  
Mimi nodded and continued conversing with Chloe about everything she could think of that had nothing to do with Jason. Although her words and actions were about other things, her mind was continuously thinking of him. She had imagined him seeing him again so many times over the years, but now that he was here, she wasn't sure if she wanted to see him at all.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Thanks for the continued feedback. :) :) :) :) 


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